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According to a new study, the majority of deaths from COVID-19 have been in countries with a high rate of obesity.
According to the study, mortality from coronavirus has been 10 times higher in countries where at least 50% of adults are overweight. The report, which talks about a “dramatic” link between COVID-19 death rates and overweight, finds that 90% or 2.2 million of the 2.5 million total pandemic deaths to date have been in countries with high levels of overweight.
The study analyzes mortality figures published by Johns Hopkins University in the United States and data from the World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory on overweight. It is surprising, the authors said, that there is no example of a country with a generally overweight population having high death rates from COVID-19.
“Look at countries like Japan and South Korea, where there are very low death rates from COVID-19, as well as very low levels of obesity in adults,” said Tim Lobstein, World Obesity Expert Advisor and professor at University of Sydney in Australia, who co-led the study.
“These countries have prioritized public health with a series of measures, including weight loss in the population, and this has been worth it in a case like a pandemic,” he said. In contrast, the report finds that in the United States and Britain, for example, both countries with high levels of COVID-19 are also among the highest in terms of overweight.
The UK has the third highest coronavirus death rate in the world and the fourth highest overweight – 184 deaths from COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants and 63.7% of overweight adults, according to WHO data .
It is followed by the United States, with 152.49 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants and 67.9% of overweight adults. John Wilding, professor of medicine at the University of Liverpool and president of the World Obesity Federation, said that being overweight should be recognized as a major risk factor for COVID-19 and considered in vaccination plans.
“It is very important that we acknowledge that being overweight increases the risk,” he said in a statement following the report’s findings. “Therefore, just like other diseases like diabetes or cardiovascular disease, overweight people should be seen as a priority in vaccination programs around the world.” / VOA
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